(Post 2 – Order in the Mess Series)
Last time we stared at that Romanesco broccoli in the header. Just a vegetable from the produce aisle, but those spirals on spirals—each little cone mimicking the whole head at a smaller scale. Unmistakable order repeating itself, simple yet beautifully complex. That kind of pattern isn’t a one-off; it’s how the world is wired. And when you look at living creatures, the same order shows up—not in shapes this time, but in how they survive: starting with individual autonomy, then choosing bonds only when it makes sense.
Think of the ocean sunfish, this huge, awkward-looking giant drifting through open water. It weighs up to a ton, feeds on jellyfish, and mostly ignores the rest of the world. No schools, no packs—just solo travel, brief mating encounters, and on it goes. Why? Size is its armor. Predators hesitate before tackling something that massive. Survival doesn’t demand company when your own traits handle the risks.
The octopus tells a similar story. After floating as plankton young, adults claim a den and keep to themselves. They camouflage, ink enemies, solve problems with eight arms and a sharp mind. Strangers? Avoided. Contact? Rare and often tense, especially during mating. Autonomy again: Its smarts and defenses are enough—no need to share space or food with others.
But not every creature can pull that off. Enter the sardines—small, fast, but easy pickings for bigger fish. Alone, one is lunch. So they choose to band together in huge schools, swirling like liquid silver. Strength in numbers: Predators get confused, can’t lock on a single target. More eyes spot food or danger quicker. It’s a clear survival win. Yet it’s not endless or random. They actively sort—by size, speed, even temperament. Subtle spacing keeps them from crashing into each other or fighting over scraps. And the school never just keeps growing forever. Too big, and food depletes fast, disease spreads easier, or the whole mass becomes an easy buffet for coordinated hunters like dolphins. Natural limits—quotas—kick in because overdoing it flips the benefits into costs.
This is nature’s quiet story: Autonomy as the default when your own strengths (size, wits, defenses) let you thrive alone. But when risks stack up—predators, scarce food, isolation—assortment steps in as a deliberate choice. Bonds form for survival perks (protection, better info), but always with active decisions: spacing, sorting, caps on size. Arbitrary endless mixing or forced blending? It doesn’t stick—nature prunes it because it fails the survival test.
We humans run on the same basic script: Start as individuals, then choose our groups when it adds real value. But we’ve layered our own choices on top—some wise, some not. We’ll start unpacking that next.
One pattern at a time.
—TheGratefulImmigrant Saint Paul, Minnesota
January 19, 2026
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Grateful Immigrant 